Activists replace statue of Robert E. Lee with statue of a pregnant black woman in Baltimore

Activists erect a statue called "Madre Luz," a pregnant black woman, in front of where a statue of Civil War Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson once stood in Baltimore. The city removed the Lee and Jackson statue early Wednesday morning. (Image source: Baltimore Sun report screenshot)

Last Sunday, Baltimore activists placed a statue stylized as "lady liberty of black power," in front of a statue of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson riding horses side by side according to WUSA-TV.

The Lee and Stonewall statue was removed on Wednesday by city officials, but the activist's statue still remains.

Artist Pablo Machioli and a few of his friends erected a papier-mache statue of a pregnant black woman holding her fist into the air, to stand in front of the Lee and Jackson statue. The statue is adorned with a rainbow sash, a baby on her back, and her raised fist is coated in gold glitter.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the statue is called “Madre Luz," or "Mother Light" in Spanish.

According to City Paper, Machioli first erected the statue in front of the Lee and Jackson statue in 2015. The idea came from Machioli's friend, Silverman Andrews, who wanted to "create attention" about social justice issues like white supremacy and racism in art, and to celebrate the 2016 Baltimore riots.

Originally, the statue was supposed to be an image of abolitionist Harriet Tubman throwing a brick at Lee and Jackson. Machioli did not want a statue depicting violence, and instead created "Madre Luz."

"Madre Luz" was placed in front of the Lee and Jackson statue after its creation. It was removed and impounded in less than 24 hours, and Machioli was fined $75. Afterward, Machioli moved the statue to his home at the Copycat Building, a warehouse converted a space where artists live and work. It stayed there for the next two years.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Machioli and his friends brought the statue back to stand in front of the Lee and Jackson monument on Sunday, following the events of Charlottesville. Though the Lee and Jackson monument is gone, "Madre Luz" still stands. The statue is not sanctioned by the city, but has not been removed by city officials.